ApkCombiner: combining multiple Android apps to support inter-app analysis

Li Li; Alexandre Bartel; Tegawendé F. Bissyandé; Jacques Klein; Yves Le Traon

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-18467-8_34

ApkCombiner: combining multiple Android apps to support inter-app analysis

Li Li, Alexandre Bartel, Tegawendé F. Bissyandé, Jacques Klein, Yves Le Traon

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference Paper › Research

50 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Android apps are made of components which can leak information between one another using the ICC mechanism. With the growing momentum of Android, a number of research contributions have led to tools for the intra-app analysis of Android apps. Unfortunately, these state-of-the-art approaches, and the associated tools, have long left out the security flaws that arise across the boundaries of single apps, in the interaction between several apps. In this paper, we present a tool called ApkCombiner which aims at reducing an inter-app communication problem to an intra-app inter-component communication problem. In practice, ApkCombiner combines different apps into a single apk on which existing tools can indirectly perform inter-app analysis. We have evaluated ApkCombiner on a dataset of 3,000 real-world Android apps, to demonstrate its capability to support static context-aware inter-app analysis scenarios.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	ICT Systems Security and Privacy Protection
Subtitle of host publication	30th IFIP TC 11 International Conference, SEC 2015 Hamburg, Germany, May 26–28, 2015 Proceedings
Editors	Hannes Federrath, Dieter Gollmann
Place of Publication	Cham Switzerland
Publisher	Springer
Pages	513-527
Number of pages	15
ISBN (Electronic)	9783319184678
ISBN (Print)	9783319184661
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-18467-8_34
Publication status	Published - 2015
Externally published	Yes
Event	IFIP TC-11 SEC International Information Security and Privacy Conference 2015 - Hamburg, Germany Duration: 26 May 2015 → 28 May 2015 Conference number: 30th https://www.ifipsec.org/2015/

Publication series

Name	IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology
Publisher	Springer
Number	455
ISSN (Print)	1868-4238
ISSN (Electronic)	1868-422X

Conference

Conference	IFIP TC-11 SEC International Information Security and Privacy Conference 2015
Abbreviated title	SEC 2015
Country	Germany
City	Hamburg
Period	26/05/15 → 28/05/15
Internet address	https://www.ifipsec.org/2015/

Access to Document

10.1007/978-3-319-18467-8_34

Link to publication in Scopus

Cite this

Li, L., Bartel, A., Bissyandé, T. F., Klein, J., & Le Traon, Y. (2015). ApkCombiner: combining multiple Android apps to support inter-app analysis. In H. Federrath, & D. Gollmann (Eds.), ICT Systems Security and Privacy Protection : 30th IFIP TC 11 International Conference, SEC 2015 Hamburg, Germany, May 26–28, 2015 Proceedings (pp. 513-527). (IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology; No. 455). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-18467-8_34

Li, Li ; Bartel, Alexandre ; Bissyandé, Tegawendé F. ; Klein, Jacques ; Le Traon, Yves. / ApkCombiner : combining multiple Android apps to support inter-app analysis. ICT Systems Security and Privacy Protection : 30th IFIP TC 11 International Conference, SEC 2015 Hamburg, Germany, May 26–28, 2015 Proceedings. editor / Hannes Federrath ; Dieter Gollmann. Cham Switzerland : Springer, 2015. pp. 513-527 (IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology; 455).

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abstract = "Android apps are made of components which can leak information between one another using the ICC mechanism. With the growing momentum of Android, a number of research contributions have led to tools for the intra-app analysis of Android apps. Unfortunately, these state-of-the-art approaches, and the associated tools, have long left out the security flaws that arise across the boundaries of single apps, in the interaction between several apps. In this paper, we present a tool called ApkCombiner which aims at reducing an inter-app communication problem to an intra-app inter-component communication problem. In practice, ApkCombiner combines different apps into a single apk on which existing tools can indirectly perform inter-app analysis. We have evaluated ApkCombiner on a dataset of 3,000 real-world Android apps, to demonstrate its capability to support static context-aware inter-app analysis scenarios.",

author = "Li Li and Alexandre Bartel and Bissyand{\'e}, {Tegawend{\'e} F.} and Jacques Klein and {Le Traon}, Yves",

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Li, L, Bartel, A, Bissyandé, TF, Klein, J & Le Traon, Y 2015, ApkCombiner: combining multiple Android apps to support inter-app analysis. in H Federrath & D Gollmann (eds), ICT Systems Security and Privacy Protection : 30th IFIP TC 11 International Conference, SEC 2015 Hamburg, Germany, May 26–28, 2015 Proceedings. IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology, no. 455, Springer, Cham Switzerland, pp. 513-527, IFIP TC-11 SEC International Information Security and Privacy Conference 2015, Hamburg, Germany, 26/05/15. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-18467-8_34

ApkCombiner : combining multiple Android apps to support inter-app analysis. / Li, Li; Bartel, Alexandre; Bissyandé, Tegawendé F.; Klein, Jacques; Le Traon, Yves.

ICT Systems Security and Privacy Protection : 30th IFIP TC 11 International Conference, SEC 2015 Hamburg, Germany, May 26–28, 2015 Proceedings. ed. / Hannes Federrath; Dieter Gollmann. Cham Switzerland : Springer, 2015. p. 513-527 (IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology; No. 455).

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference Paper › Research

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AU - Klein, Jacques

AU - Le Traon, Yves

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AB - Android apps are made of components which can leak information between one another using the ICC mechanism. With the growing momentum of Android, a number of research contributions have led to tools for the intra-app analysis of Android apps. Unfortunately, these state-of-the-art approaches, and the associated tools, have long left out the security flaws that arise across the boundaries of single apps, in the interaction between several apps. In this paper, we present a tool called ApkCombiner which aims at reducing an inter-app communication problem to an intra-app inter-component communication problem. In practice, ApkCombiner combines different apps into a single apk on which existing tools can indirectly perform inter-app analysis. We have evaluated ApkCombiner on a dataset of 3,000 real-world Android apps, to demonstrate its capability to support static context-aware inter-app analysis scenarios.

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Li L, Bartel A, Bissyandé TF, Klein J, Le Traon Y. ApkCombiner: combining multiple Android apps to support inter-app analysis. In Federrath H, Gollmann D, editors, ICT Systems Security and Privacy Protection : 30th IFIP TC 11 International Conference, SEC 2015 Hamburg, Germany, May 26–28, 2015 Proceedings. Cham Switzerland: Springer. 2015. p. 513-527. (IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology; 455). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-18467-8_34